"Yanks make homer history in opener" -- July 31, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Armed with a career .400 batting average against White Sox starter Jose Contreras, Alex Rodriguez seemed primed to join the 500-homer club on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. But instead, seven of his teammates went deep and tied a franchise record with eight home runs, equaling a feat set by the 1939 Bronx Bombers.

The accomplishment, which several White Sox players bantered about in the stadium tunnel after the game -- "We tied their record? Set in 19' what?" -- matched a club mark set in the first game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics on June 28, 1939.

After the game, when Joe Torre heard that Joe DiMaggio helped set the previous record, the Yankees' skipper stopped fiddling his fingers over a USA Today paper on his lap.

"Is that right?"

Torre stared through a group of reporters and didn't so much as flinch. Then, leaning back in his black leather chair, he shook his head.

"That's incredible."

Hideki Matsui led the way with two home runs, giving him a total of 13 long balls in July, the most by any player in the Major Leagues for the month.

Also finding the outfield stands were Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada and Shelley Duncan. Three of those accounted for the early exit of Contreras, who left after 2 2/3 innings.

Duncan hit the Yankees' final home run, his fourth since being called up from Triple-A on July 20. The rookie didn't start the game and only had the one at-bat.

"It doesn't matter what it is, something special can always happen that no one expects. That's why I love it. That's why I just get jacked when I wake up," Duncan said. "Anyone in this room, anyone who gets in that lineup -- or even isn't in the lineup -- has a chance to do something that nobody will ever forget."

Damon said he couldn't remember a homer-happy game like this, even in Little League. In fact, he had trouble remembering if he's ever seen eight home runs -- in reality or virtual reality.

"Maybe in Xbox or something," he said.

Damon, however, quickly pointed out that the Yankees didn't hoot and holler during the game. Teammates may have had wider smiles, but their success is other players' shortcomings, he said, namely the Chicago pitching staff.

But much like the four White Sox who entered and left the game, Rodriguez found himself taking a lonely seat on the Yankees' dugout bench next to pitching coach Ron Guidry during the game. One has to wonder if Rodriguez heard his manager and bench coach, Don Mattingly, talking at the other end of the dugout.

"It was funny," Torre said. "Early in the game I said to Don, 'The third, the fifth, the sixth and the seventh batters hit home runs, and Alex is left out. I guess they're just waiting for Alex to just do it on his own.'"

The fact that A-Rod didn't make it into the home runs category in the box score only stood out because all eyes -- or lenses -- were on him. But those bulbs popping throughout Yankees Stadium never captured the moment they sought, as Rodriguez, on the brink of the 500-homers milestone, went 0-for-5 at the plate despite hitting four balls hard and three near the warning track.

"They took pictures of the wrong guy tonight," Rodriguez said.

That didn't matter to the rest of the Yankees, and Torre said players around the league who look at the game capsules on Wednesday morning will think A-Rod made history.

"I'm sure if we polled everybody in baseball -- if they didn't see the game, [but saw] eight home runs being hit -- they would have guessed that Alex hit two or three of them," he said.

Matsui, who has hit safely in 24 of his last 26 games, batted fifth behind Rodriguez. He said he had the perfect view of A-Rod at the plate, eyeing the All-Star third baseman clutch his bat and take those powerful swings that have produced 35 home runs and 103 RBIs this season.

The Yankees left fielder joked that his homer-watching jinxed Rodriguez.

"I got the closest seat to see him hit a home run, so I was the one just waiting for him to hit a home run," Matsui said. "So maybe I'm the problem."